Applications Of Schema Theory In Teaching Compound Dictation To Non-English Majors

Listening as one of the four language skills plays a very important role in English communication. While the compound dictation becomes a more complicated part in listening test due to its combination of listening, and writing skills. In June, 1997compound dictation was applied in CET4 for the first time. Since 2007, CET4 and CET6 have transformed to emphasize students' integrative application ability, especially listening and speaking, so that the proportion of listening comprehension has increased from 20% to 35%. Furthermore, compound dictation as one part of this test will appear each year, which means it has become a very important part in CET4.It is one kind of listening comprehension focusing on the students' abilities of listening, word spelling, note-taking and written expression, so it can check students' language practical ability to use foreign language vocabulary and grammar freely. This test is certainly more difficult to students than answering multiple-choice questions. As language testing experts proved, dictation is one kind of useful testing means. Finally they reach a conclusion that dictation is able to measure out the students hearing ability all-sided. As a result, compound dictation becomes a compulsory part in new CET-4.This paper discusses some listening strategies from a cognitive linguistic perspective in compound dictation after analyzing the difficulties examiners have in completing compound dictation, in order to help examiners find suitable and effective ways to improve their listening - and - writing ability, and cultivate their comprehensive ability in language.Generally there are three major types of schemata: 'Linguistic Schemata' (language proficiency), 'Content Schemata' (background knowledge of the world including universal and cultural specific knowledge) and 'Formal Schemata' (prior knowledge of discourse structures and text organizations).According to schema theory, there are three models in the process of comprehending a text: bottom-up model, top-down model and interactive model, so listeners can use them to understand the text.Many researches conducted by some scholars and researchers indicate that the application of schema theory has proved to be quite successful in reading comprehension, but in fact listening is similar to reading , so schema also should be built in compound dictation. In the listening process, listeners should make their background knowledge active and use them to predict the text. Based on the schema theory with memory theory and input-output theory, many strategies should be applied widely in listening class to improve students' listening ability.When dealing with a listening text in class, teachers will take some activities in its pre-, while-, and post-listening stages by applying many strategies, such as bottom-up strategy, top-down strategy, note-taking strategy, short-term memory strategy, and selective attention strategy. This experimental study includes research questions, research design, procedures and the data analysis, and then interprets its results and provides pedagogical implications. The research collects the data by test, questionnaire, and interview and makes analysis of the test performance, and the relationship between the strategy use and test performance, the relationship between the strategy use and the proficiency of test-takers. The writer will prove that these strategies will be useful to different aspects in compound dictation. Thus, listeners are active in listening process, and they will hit the target to succeed in compound dictation.